More details on North's actions & FBI probe of Hernandez

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: FBI probe focuses on North sponsor : SPORTS-TALK RIFT | Feds search firm owned by broadcaster's estranged partner : June 14, 2009 : BY MARK J. KONKOL | Sun-Times Staff Reporter : A rift between flamboyant Chicago sports commentator Mike North and his estranged business partner, David Hernandez, took a turn Saturday when the FBI confirmed it's investigating a Hernandez company. : The firm, NextStep Medical Staffing, is the main sponsor of North's morning talk show on Comcast SportsNet. : On Friday, federal agents executed a search warrant on the offices of NextStep at 225 W. Washington as part of an ongoing federal probe, FBI spokesman Ross Rice said Saturday. : A source close to NextStep said the Securities and Exchange Commission also is investigating the company. An SEC investigator contacted by the Chicago Sun-Times on Saturday would neither confirm nor deny the existence of a probe. : Hernandez's Spectrum Entertainment Group owns a majority stake in the sports talk Web site Chicago Sports Webio (www.ChicagoSportsWebio.com), which North helped found last year. : In recent weeks, the Internet-based radio station has bounced paychecks to staff. On Friday, Hernandez fired North as senior vice president. North's wife, Be-Be, the company's chief operating officer, and general sales manager Jeff Schwartz were also fired. : Hernandez denied being the target of any investigation. He confirmed the FBI subpoenaed company records, which he turned over to investigators. : "That happens once a week in Chicago," Hernandez said. "I welcome the federal government investigation and will work with them. . . . We know where it is going to lead." : North dismissed as nonsense Hernandez's take on the warrant. : "The guy is delusional," North said. : North's attorney, Steve Harris, said federal investigators told him North is not "a suspect or a target" of their investigation. The FBI has also asked to question North later this week. : On Friday night, North invited his Chicago Sports Webio co-workers -- including veteran sportscaster Chet Coppock and midday host Jonathan Hood -- to his house, where he gave them checks from his personal bank account to help make up for their lost wages. : "They're all great friends of mine," he said. "We gave them money so they can survive right now despite this [guy]." : North's show "Monsters in the Morning," with Dan Jiggetts and Jen Patterson, airs from 6 to 9 a.m. Monday through Friday. A Comcast SportsNet spokesman said the show is still scheduled to air -- with North -- in its normal slot Monday. A special prime-time edition of the show is also scheduled for Monday night in advance of the White Sox-Cubs series. : The spokesman would not comment on whether the show will continue to be sponsored by NextStep Medical Staffing, which has paid for it until mid-July. : But Hernandez claims he was told by Comcast officials that North would be pulled from the program. : "Comcast knows we are in a partnership that's locked in legally until July 12," Hernandez said. "If Mike was no longer [on the show], the partnership will continue. If he is there, that will be a problem." : Chicago Sports Webio isn't the only Hernandez business that has had problems making payments recently. The source associated with the company said investors haven't received expected dividends in months. : North, who writes a weekly sports column for the Sun-Times, said he hopes to get control of Chicago Sports Webio, which was his idea. But Hernandez said North "doesn't have a penny invested" in the company. : "We allowed Mike to be the face, but he was a simple employee," Hernandez said. "Unless he can come up with several million dollars, his comments about taking over are comical."

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